Chapter 6: Girls' Night
"A girl's night? I don't know if I'm up for an evening talking about rainbows, unicorns, and menstrual cramps." - Sheldon
Friday hadn't come fast enough, in Carly's opinion. She had been looking forward to spending the night over at Penny's the whole week and had barely slept the night before. She was anxious and excited.
She had watched the clock like a hawk the whole day at the library and as soon as she got home, she immediately changed out of her work attire to don a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt. She had never been one to show off her legs, being pale her whole life, but the newfound confidence she was finding changed her mind.
She wondered if Sheldon would notice if she wore them... but shook herself away from the thought. He couldn't even stand the idea of kissing her, why on earth would he care about how her legs looked in shorts?
Plus, it wasn't like she'd see him that night anyway. It was just going to be Penny and Bernadette there. Honestly, she was excited to get to know the short blond better. She saw her every once in while with Howard but hadn't really spent one on one time with her yet.
Everyone now knew of Sheldon and Carly's relationship and spoke of it often. It had shaken the group, amazed and happy for them. No one had seen Sheldon conceding to a relationship with anyone, so it was shocking- but at the same time, they all had had their suspicions on his feelings for her that they voiced loudly in satisfaction.
Relationship wise, it felt pretty much the same with Sheldon. Except now, they often shared knowing smiles and long stares whenever they caught eyes. Carly had offered to drive Sheldon to places he needed to go if she was able and so that helped take the pressure off of Leonard. He was ecstatic.
Carly just enjoyed spending time with Sheldon, even if it was to go to the model train store or a symposium she didn't understand.
Carly had held hands with him only once when they had watched a documentary together alone in his apartment. He had been hesitant at first but allowed it when she prompted, and Carly thought about that moment often.
It was nice, being Sheldon's girlfriend.
Sheldon had still disapproved of her drinking with Penny and had frequently brought it up. Carly had tried reassuring him but it seemed to not help his paranoia. The trauma from what had happened to him must have bothered him more than he let on.
It just made her sad that their friends all just laughed, not seeing how it affected him.
Carly left her apartment, a small bag of a change of clothes and her toothbrush on her arm, and headed up the flights of stairs.
"Hey sweetie, come on in!" Penny greeted brightly, a large bottle in her hand already as she threw open the door, ushering the librarian inside her apartment.
"Hey," Carly grinned at her and walked in, spotting Bernadette on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand. "Hi, Bernadette!"
"Hel—" Bernadette hiccuped, "—Lo. Oh sorry." She laughed girlishly, placing her hand on her chest with an embarrassed smile.
Penny closed the door and walked behind Carly towards the kitchenette. "So what would you like, Carly? I bought red wine, Peach Snapps, Butterscotch Snapps, and… Eristoff…" She said pointing to each one on the counter until she got to the Eristoff, which she picked up and examined curiously.
"Butterscotch I guess. I like butterscotch," she said with a shrug and sat down next to Bernadette on the aqua colored couch, seeing that the TV was on to play Dirty Dancing. She didn't know anything about liquor and so she just hoped it tasted good.
"So! How are you and Sheldon?" Bernadette cooed, grinning at Carly and nudging her with her elbow, waggling her eyebrows.
Carly blushed lightly but laughed at her antics. "We're fine. What about you and Howard? I heard he proposed, congratulations!"
Bernadette's smile vanished suddenly, a dark flash in her eyes, and Penny moved in with a glass for Carly.
"Ooh, not a good time," Penny murmured to Carly, handing the glass over before sitting in her green armchair next to Bernadette.
Carly frowned, looking between the two in confusion. "What, why?"
"No, it's all right," Bernadette waved to the girls after Carly was about to say sorry. She gave the brunette a small grateful smile. "Thanks, Carly. It's just that Howard and I got into another argument tonight. He seems thinks that when we get married we're going to live with his mother."
Penny bit her lip and shook her head, taking a swig of the Eristoff right from the bottle. Carly furrowed her brows, deducing the situation, "Oh my. I am guessing you don't want to live with her?"
Bernadette gave Carly a flat look like she couldn't believe she would consider it, "No, of course not. As a married couple, I expected things to change and to start our lives together in our own home. He says he wants that too, so why doesn't he start packing?"
Carly bit her lip, before reassuring Bernadette in sympathy. "Oh, you never know, Howard is a good guy and he loves you with all his heart. He's lived with his mother his whole life, I'm sure it's just going to take some time. I lived with my Grandmother my whole life and I just moved out this year. It was difficult for me too. Change... it's hard," Carly told her before taking a drink of her liquor, thinking of how her grandmother was alone in her house. It tasted exactly like butterscotch and gave her a warm sensation rushing through her whole body.
"I agree," Penny said followed by a sniff, her nose running from the warmth the liquor gave her. "Somehow, your cuteness settled down the strange and creepy Howard Wolowitz. He will get over it."
Bernadette smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, you guys." She took a drink of her glass as Penny continued.
"I mean look at Sheldon and Carly. We didn't even know Sheldon had genitals and now he is thinking with them."
Carly blushed fiercely at the mention of her boyfriend's genitals and took another drink. She wouldn't exactly say he was thinking with them. She could count how many times they had touched with one hand.
"All right! Enough of all this boy talk! Let's play some liquor games!" Penny suddenly announced with a kick of her leg, looking far too wicked for Carly's liking.
oO0Oo
Sheldon stared intently at his apartment door, anxiously sitting in his spot on the couch. Music was now blaring from the apartment across the hall. What was Penny doing to his girlfriend? Would she be okay? Would she turn out like Penny? He didn't want her to change.
Leonard noticed this and sat down with his glass of diet coke, glancing at the door. "Sheldon, she'll be fine. Penny isn't that bad of an influence." But as he said it, he realized that he was just lying to himself. Penny did have a way of swaying anyone that she met. She'd gotten Sheldon to drink alcohol. That was a feat all in itself.
Sheldon turned to glower at Leonard, appalled that he could even say that. "Thatbad- Leonard, she fed me alcohol until I took my pants off in front of a whole crowd of people and then exposed my derriere - which ended up being videotaped and posted to youtube. In what universe is she not that bad?"
Leonard sulked with defeat and looked down at his glass, watching the carbonation bubbles pop. "Yeah okay, you're right. But still, they'll be fine. They're right across the hall."
"They? I don't care about Bernadette and Penny, all I care about is them turning my girlfriend into an alcoholic!" Sheldon exclaimed his biggest fear at the moment, pouting in his seat with another glare towards the offending door.
Howard and Raj then entered the apartment, glancing behind them at Penny's apartment door with a pizza box in their hands. "Hey guys, we brought pizza," Howard told them hopefully.
Raj frowned himself and closed the door behind them. "Are they having a party without us?"
Leonard rolled his eyes at the way Raj sounded left out. "It's a girl's night Raj."
"Oh," Raj said, shrugging and going over to the couch with Howard as they started handing out pizza.
oO0Oo
"Yes! Drink up!" Penny cheered, pointing to Bernadette. They were playing beer pong with candle jars and a rolled-up piece of paper. Bernadette laughed, too intoxicated to care about competing at the moment, and took a large swig of the drink.
The game went on until Penny won and she threw her hands up in victory.
Falling onto the couch breathless, the girls giggled at each other. "Hey," Penny suddenly spoke up, lolling her head over to look at Carly. "We should go out dancing one night. We could bring the guys too if you wanted."
Carly tilted her head, trying to imagine her boyfriend dancing, and grinned. She was feeling more than a little buzzed now. "I don't think Sheldon would dance."
Penny rolled her eyes, an evil grin appearing on her face. "We could get him drunk. That always works."
Carly might have been drunk as well, but she had a mind to know that Sheldon would be mortified if something like that happened again. She shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe."
oO0Oo
Sheldon tried to focus on the Star Wars movie playing on the television but he kept hearing pounds on the floor or wall and then loud laughter. His eyes found their way back to the door in a panic. "What on earth and in all it's universes is going on over there to cause that much of a ruckus?"
Howard raised his eyebrows, the other guys now looking towards the door too with interest. "I'm not sure, but I hope it's not PG."
Sheldon glared at him sharply, not understanding the statement but since it had come from Howard- he assumed it probably had something to do with sexual activities. The idea of Carly doing any of that spread fear throughout his whole body.
Leonard sighed. "They just sound like they're having fun."
"Should we go check on them, just in case?" Raj asked, sounding a little eager to do so.
Leonard shook his head, being the reasonable one - despite the very sexual thoughts about his girlfriend going through his head. "No, if they need us, they'll let us know."
"What if they pass out and hit their head on something and get a concussion- and we don't hear them call for help because the music is too loud?" Sheldon asked, looking at Leonard for a good answer.
Leonard exhaled in annoyance, "Sheldon. They are going to be fine. I have told you that for—"
"Have you seen how messy Penny's apartment is? They could trip and fall on any of it!" Sheldon pointed out, his voice in a higher octave as his imagination ran away with him, leaving him extremely worried for Carly's wellbeing.
Leonard opened his mouth to continue the dispute but was stopped as their door swung open with brute force, banging loudly against the wall behind it.
Carly stood there, her hair a mess and her eyes intent on Sheldon. All four men were stunned at the sight.
"Carly?" Sheldon asked while standing, worried there was something wrong and that his suspicions had come true.
"Sheldon, we need to go to the bedroom," she told him loudly, and he heard Penny and Bernadette giggle madly from the doorway of Penny's apartment.
This had been a dare. By then, Carly was far too gone to think about what she truly was doing. Her rational mind had flown out the window and she felt woozy and stared dreamily at her boyfriend.
He is so hot, she thought wildly. What would it be like to kiss him?
"Why?" Sheldon asked, astonished by her appearance and her words. He hurried over to her, checking her over for injuries because surely she had a concussion. She wasn't making sense. "Did you hit your head?"
Carly shook her head, licking her lips and struggling to stand on her feet, "No. I want to touch you and you said we can only do that in private, now let's go!" she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him toward the bedroom.
The other men exchanged amused and shocked glances, trying hard not to laugh at Sheldon's horrified face.
"No, Carly! No one goes into my bedroom!" Sheldon protested in stark fear at what she had said and by her actions. He stopped walking abruptly, causing Carly to fall into his chest, pressing up alongside him and leaving him sucking in with air at the touch. He caught her and held her at arm's length, away from him and his racing heart.
"Then I will touch you right here then," she told him boldly, thinking that to be the only solution, and leaned into him, her arms struggling in his hands to reach his waist- as if to hug him. He pulled away as fast as The Flash before she could succeed.
"Carly, you have had way too much to drink," he told her seriously, licking his lips and feeling his whole face burning from embarrassment. "This is exactly what I meant when I said you shouldn't have drunk with Penny!"
"Come on!" she urged, ignoring him, and grabbed his hand, making him jump, tugging him towards the back of the apartment. This time, however, he let her. He was afraid she would do something in front of their friends.
He already could hear their snickers behind his back as they left.
Once inside his room, she pushed him down onto his bed and closed the door. He sat on the end of the mattress, his eyes wide and worried about what she would do now that they were alone.
"Sheldon… I want to touch you," she told him again, walking over to him, swaying her hips a little. His eyes involuntarily looked down at them and he looked back up into her eyes with trepidation. His heart raced wildly in his chest.
This was wrong.
"You think you do, but you need to realize that this is just the alcohol. You- you wouldn't do this if you were sober," he replied, catching her hands as they reached out to him before they could touch him.
"Sheeeeeldon," she drew out his name in a whine, a plead. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes that were normally bright and twinkling looked dark and wild. It made his heart jump to his throat with an unknown emotion. "I want to hug you... to ki- you said that we could hug right?"
She looked at him hopefully and he bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head quickly, his hands holding her wrists in front of him. "Only on special occasions," he corrected her.
"But it is a special occasion!" She told him, sounding rather childlike.
Sheldon raised his eyebrows, not understanding. "No, it's not."
She sheepishly smiled then, moving closer to him so she was standing in between his legs. He gulped. She was so close now. He tried to keep his eyes steady, the fact that her legs were bare and brushing up against his was distracting.
"It's... It's the first time I've been in your bedroom!" She came up with on the spot, looking proud of herself. He saw her teeth through her smile.
"B-but that's not-"
And that was when it happened. He was distracted by what she had said, intent on telling her how wrong she was on what a special occasion meant- when suddenly she had thrown herself at him and her hot, soft mouth collided hard and sloppily on his as he spoke.
His body immediately protested the action, his hands releasing her wrists to rise between them to try to remove her from him but she was pushing into him with her whole body and he struggled to move.
He was aware that he was falling, backward onto the bed and to his horror, she climbed on top of him, her bare legs straddling his hips as she somehow kept her face near his.
Her mouth drew back, a wet residue all around his mouth and on one of his nostrils.
The would-be kiss was sort of gross, he concluded.
His eyes were wide when she looked down at him, his head resting on the mattress and her hair falling around them like a waterfall. He could feel every single place she was touching and to his horror, his body reacted under her.
"C-Carly I-" he tried again to protest, panicking now, but she silenced him when she leaned down again, his words leaving his mind when her mouth descended onto his again. He was too shocked to move.
This time, her mouth was softer, gentler. It made his heart pound heavy in his ears and he stared, stunned at her closed eyes, as her lips pressed and covered his a little firmer, testing him it seemed like.
It was closed-lipped and he appreciated that because he didn't think he could handle another saliva-based intrusion, and he let her kiss him. His whole body warmed, heated under her smaller frame.
He was still, unsure of what to do. Uncertain if she should move her off of him while she was distracted or see how long she would do it for. This feeling- this feeling, was intense. He didn't know what to do with it.
She finally pulled back, slightly, just enough to breathe and stare down at him with gentle eyes and a small smile playing on her lips. He had trouble breathing.
"Wh-why did you-" he broke off, his murmur unable to keep going as his mind spun and his body tingled.
"I've wanted to do that for so long but I knew you wouldn't let me," she admitted in a small, unsure voice. "Do you hate me now?"
Sheldon gulped. Hate her? "No. Just... shocked."
She bit her lip nervously and his eyes fell to it, watching how her teeth sank into the plump red of her bottom lip. It sent a weird tingle down his body. Kissing... she had kissed him.
He licked his own, trying but failing to remove his eyes from her mouth. That had just been kissing him. "You taste like butterscotch," he mused faintly.
Carly chuckled lightly and tilted her head. "The liquor I drank was butterscotch flavored... do you like butterscotch?"
His eyes lifted to hers, seeing the teasing sparkle in them and some other emotion he didn't understand.
Butterscotch?
"Yes." At the moment he wasn't sure if he had meant the flavor or the kiss. Carly's kiss.
She smiled and her eyes traveled down to his mouth again and his breathing hitched. Was she going to do it again? Her eyes flickered to his and he went still.
"Are you going to kiss me again?" He asked her faintly, needing to get prepared if so.
She looked back up into his eyes, desire evident in them. "Do you want me to?" She asked him, her voice soft and caring- a different approach than she had taken before. Perhaps she wasn't as drunk as she had been upon entering the bedroom.
He stared at her. Did he want her to? That was the question, wasn't it? She had already damned him if she had any virus running through her saliva so what would one more hurt?
"Yes," he told her in a voice he didn't recognize.
That did something to her, her face changed. Her eyes softened and she moved a hand to his chest, settling right over his pounding heart and sending warm tingles over his body. His useless hands down at his sides moved into fists from the touch. He didn't know if he liked it or not.
But he didn't want her to stop.
She began to lean in and he stopped breathing. But she didn't kiss him. Not yet. Her forehead pressed against his, their eyes locked into a heated stare, their breaths mingling together between them.
Her hand on his chest slid up, up, to his neck, giving him goosebumps on that side of his body. He was surprised by his body's reaction, how it was thoroughly affected by her touch, her kiss, her everything.
He couldn't help but stare back at Carly, something moving in him, as he saw all of her feelings toward him in her gaze. His body relaxed, to a degree, awed by her. She was like a different species to him.
Who was this girl? How had she done this to him? This was everything he had sworn against, his whole life.
She must have noticed the difference in his eyes because her hand lifted to his jawline, running her fingers along the skin there before finally- finally, she pressed her lips upon his.
Neither of them expected Sheldon's response, both had been unprepared. His hands grabbed her by the hips, holding her tightly to him, for dear life. She stilled her movements when he did so, her eyes opening slightly to look down at him to see his eyes shut. Then his mouth pressed up against hers, her bottom lip sliding between both of his softly and sensually.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her eyes slid closed, kissing him back, deeply - savoring him and this moment because despite the liquor licking at her senses and mind, she knew that this probably wouldn't happen again. That this was a rare, special thing.
His hands held her to him, unwilling to let go of her hips or her mouth and she came alive in his arms, pressing her body fully along his and sliding her hand that was on his jaw up into his hair- fingers threading through it, holding him close, needing him to keep kissing her. To tell her how much he liked her. How much she meant to him.
And she needed him to know, that she liked him so much. Her body and heartbeat as one, needing him. Wanting him.
His fingertips on her waist pressed hard, his lips moving along hers in equal abandon- forgetting that he was scared, that he had never kissed anyone in his life and hadn't wanted to- not until now. Not until Carly.
She made him feel. Liked him for him. Drew out emotions in him that he didn't even know he could experience. Made him want to pull her against him and never let go.
His hands moved, slid up to her back, and ran over the fabric of her shirt, holding her to him, pressing her warm body up firmly against him, wanting the closeness he had never experienced before. Needing it.
He idly remembered that she was drunk, probably not thinking straight. Yet, he was drunk on her. On how she made him feel.
But this wasn't right.
"Carly..." he mumbled against her lips. He didn't want this to stop, but he needed to. For her sake, and his. He had never craved intimacy with another person this way before and he had a feeling that if they were to go further, he wouldn't be comfortable.
She pulled back from his mouth, their eyes opening simultaneously, their breaths rapidly mingling together as they came down from the high. "You're intoxicated," he reminded her softly. "You don't know what you're doing."
Carly sighed and laid her head upon his shoulder, her body slumping against him. "I know... I'm sorry."
Sheldon wasn't sure what to say to her. He was shuddering underneath her warm body and his hands were still on her back. He could feel her breath rasping against his skin, making his head spin dizzily.
Suddenly he realized just what they were doing and he froze, unable to remember how they had come to this.
"C-Carly?" he began, worried that they had made a mistake, but he didn't hear her response for a few beats. Frowning, he gently rubbed her shoulder to get her attention. "Carly?"
He pulled away slightly, to look down into her sleeping face.
Alarmed, he lay there with her sleeping body on him. He gulped. Here he was panicking about how his body had responded to her and she had just passed out.
Attempting to compose himself, he gently and carefully maneuvered her off of him, it was more of a roll actually. He sat up, being able to breathe easier without her on him, and grabbed one of his pillows to softly slide it under her head. He stood up from the bed and stared down at her wordlessly. Her hair fanned out messily around her peaceful face and her chest gently rose up and down with her breathing. He gulped. What was he supposed to do now?
Sheldon heard a small knock on his door, breaking him from his thoughts and he quickly turned to answer it. Leonard peered up at him with curious eyes behind his dark-framed glasses.
"Everything okay?" Leonard asked him cautiously, taking in Sheldon's ruffled hair and pale complexion.
His eyes wide and panicked, he unloaded, "Leonard, Carly passed out in my bed. Do I wake her up and tell her to leave? Do I carry her down to her apartment? Or do I just let her stay there?"
Leonard eyed past him, seeing a glimpse of Carly's sleeping face. "She must have had a lot to drink tonight," he commented idly. "Um, well I suppose you could let her sleep here. She looks pretty peaceful."
Sheldon frowned wildly, not liking the answer. "Then where am I supposed to sleep?"
Leonard rose his eyebrows at his roommate, then chuckled with amusement and patted Sheldon on the shoulder. "Here's an idea, you could sleep with her."
Sheldon gaped at his roommate, appalled at the idea. "I can't -"
"Sheldon," Leonard cut him off, suddenly looking serious. "She's your girlfriend now. It's normal to share a bed."
Sheldon gulped and glanced back at Carly in fear. How was this sort of thing normal? How would he convince himself that it wasn't a big deal? "Um... okay," he said noncommittally and gave Leonard a small nod.
Leonard smirked, a little surprised by the fact Sheldon hadn't argued with him further. "Well, I'm heading off to bed. Everyone's gone home."
Sheldon nodded distractedly and was then left to his own devices as Leonard took his leave. Sheldon softly closed his door and turned back around, staring at Carly in trepidation. This was why he had never wanted to get involved with a woman. They always interrupted his life to such a degree.
Quietly, he shed his clothing and put on his Friday night pajamas before walking over to the other side of his bed. He eyed it, trying to figuring out a way to get into the bed without disturbing her. He switched off his lamp next to him, engulfing the room into darkness except for a couple strips of moonlight from the blinds on his window. He carefully pulled the blankets down and slid them gently underneath Carly to cover them up, after climbing into the bed next to her.
Immediately he felt uncomfortable in his own bed. Perhaps he should've just slept on the couch. Why had he let Leonard convince him of this absurd idea?
Without any notice, Carly shifted next to him and he snapped his gaze to her to see her moving in her sleep, to her side and curling against him. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder, making him stiffen. Now how he supposed to sleep?
He tried though, his eyes closing and willing himself to not panic.
But to no avail.
Not only was the warmth of her body right next to his side, but she then slid her arm over his waist and held him to her.
His heart jumped, his eyes furiously opening. The weight of her arm against his hips weirdly made his breathing pick up- making him wonder why his lungs and hips were congregating.
Slowly, reluctantly, he let himself calm down and relax - one body part at a time. His eyes stared unseeingly at the ceiling. For a very long time he pondered what he had gotten himself into, how Carly affected him, how he had experienced an actual kiss- and slowly, he fell into a fitful sleep.
He did wake up frequently, her next to him startling him, but each time he quickly remembered he wasn't alone.
I am posting two chapters this week. I can't wait to get into the new chapters! They really branch this story out. Can you believe that I have more than 30 chapters already written for this story? The original stopped at 17 chapters! I also updated the image for this story. My face claim for Carly is Marilyn Lima- but with brown eyes, not blue.
I hope you enjoyed their first kiss- bringing them closer. Always, always. Thank you to the ones who reviewed, I'm unable to respond, but please know I appreciate them! Also, the new followers and favorites warm my heart. I hope you continue to like this story!